Children of the What!
by sempaiko
Summary: Sheppard, McKay, Beckett and Ronon are reverted back to being children by a rogue Wraith. With their memory intact, but fading, they must race to find a way to return to adults. Little do they know the Wraith is coming to them to retrieve what is hers.


**Children of the… WHAT?!**

Stargate Atlantis Fanfic

_After being captured, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Carson Beckett, and Ronon Dex are reverted back to being children by means of a rogue Wraith. With their memory intact, but fading, they need to find a cure or at least the wraith who did this to them. Little do they know she is already on her way to Atlantis to retrieve something that is her! _

_This is set probably around mid season 3 (before Carson... dies TT).  
_

**Part 1 – Small Doses**

John Sheppard was checking his surroundings while trying to enjoy the crisp air of the grassy plain they were walking across. Although the initial scan of the area with the readout-screen had revealed no humanoid life forms, he was still weary.

Something about this place gave him the chills; and he always trusted his instinct, so he continued to dart his eyes around their perimeter.

Rodney McKay was too lost in his own scans to even be aware of Sheppard's increasingly edgy postures. He also should have noted that Sheppard had not even made his usual wisecracks and jokes that he normally did during a routine, inactive mission.

"How's it coming McKay?" Sheppard asked, looking out the corner of his eyes at a treeline to his left.

"The energy reading we picked up before is coming from that direction." He spun his fingers in the air a few times in the direction he was indicating. "It doesn't seem nearly anything like a Zed-PM, but I'm sure it's worth the long, long... long walk."

Sheppard made a sharp turn of his head in the direction of a bird-like animal flying away, and tried to ease his tension. It was a bird, that's all. Not a dart whining by or a killer insect or anything else his mind thought about at that moment. A bird.

"Just a bird." Ronon said as if reading his damned mind.

He tried to keep from rolling his eyes as he gave a glare over to his larger companion walking slightly besides him.

Ronon, unlike Mckay, had early on sensed Sheppard's uneasiness and shared in the militaristic soldier's sixth sense. "Something's not right." Ronon said simply.

"Yeah. Well, Teyla would have been able to tell if there was Wraith here. I'm beginning to think we should have waited for her to be fully recovered." Sheppard replied quietly, not wanting to alert McKay of that possibility. Sheppard instead thought back to his missing team-member.

Although Sheppard was usually the type to stick to his 'everyone or no-one' mentality, Dr. Elizabeth Weir had insisted that they go investigate the energy reading that the Malp had picked up on when they established a link to this world initially. Sheppard also figured Elizabeth had ulterior motives for her descision to send them anyway without Teyla.

Teyla had been almost seriously injured during their last encounter with some local natives. The negotiations had turned sour, and before they knew it, they were under heavy fire and dialing the gate back to Atlantis. Teyla was hit shortly before she stepped into the event horizon, but she still managed to fall backward into the giant vertical puddle to safety.

The wound was not life-threatening, but her recovery had so far been rather slow, due to the location on her back that it had hit. All Sheppard and the others had been doing was constantly checking her and inquiring if she was feeling better. Teyla was strong, and was making a quick recovery, but Dr. Beckett insisted on her taking it easy for a week or two. While Rodney could deal with the inactivity by doing other important city-maintenance stuff, Ronon and Sheppard were not doing so well by trying to bide their time.

And so, when it came up that an investigation had to be done for the energy reading on the planet, Elizabeth had asked them to go, instead of sending the next ranking team. Even though they were one less team-member, they were still the best. After a little coercing on her end, Elizabeth was able to convince John to go without Teyla and do a quick reconnaissance.

"It's too quiet." Ronon said as he looked around cautiously, trying to keep up the tight triangle formation that had formed between the three of them, with Rodney actually in the lead with his sensor equipment.

"Yeah." Sheppard replied, almost to himself more than anything. He scanned around him again, and then gave out a quick sigh. "Let's just find out what that reading is and get out of here."

Sheppard and Ronon both saw the potential of what was the source of said energy reading long before McKay did. Perhaps it was because McKay was looking down at his pad rather than what lie right in front of him.

Looming over them in the distance was a strange looking structure that appeared to be a several story, silver building. A cave-like opening to the structure was surrounded by a courtyard of semi-tamed local planets. Sheppard and Ronon shared a look. Semi-tamed was still tamed, and the maintenance was relatively fresh, although probably not done in several weeks or months.

Rodney had finally noticed the structure when it finally appeared on his screen. "Huh. That's strange. When did that get here? My readings didn't show any sort of structure or building." He frowned and half rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me this stupid thing is malfunctioning." He hit it with his palm.

"McKay!" Sheppard hissed as the enigmatic doctor finally looked up to observe the structure. It didn't seem to have a definite rectangle shape at all, more like stacks of irregular shaped stones piled ontop of eachother with small, dark windows.

"Life signs?" Sheppard asked McKay, who was now too busy staring at his surroundings to be bothered with his scanner.

"Oh! Uhh... no, still no life signs. Strange." McKay replied and Ronon advanced to his side to get a good look for himself. McKay visibly twitched and his eyes went wide at the total invasion of his personal space. "Get your own." McKay said as he scooted away from the larger man.

Ronon was about to grumble something back at the scientist, when he thought he saw something move in the courtyard ahead. Obviously Sheppard saw it too, as he raised his gun to aim it at the direction of the movement.

"Was that just me, or did that look like one of those false Wraith scare-tactic things?" McKay asked, his voice a little shaky as his fear escalated.

Sheppard had to hand it to Rodney; he had also seen what himself and Ronon had. Maybe he _was_ paying attention to his surroundings.

There was a soft hiss behind them and they spun to the opening of the courtyard where a whole mass of misty-apparitions had appeared. This was unlike anything John had experienced with these things before. There were so many! And they were blocking the exit to the courtyard.

But they were just images, they weren't real, so they could just walk right through them and back out into the open field. Before he could voice this, Rodney had taken the other direction as the safest place to go; inside the structure. Sheppard saw as he got behind a tall pillar.

"Rodney!" Sheppard exclaimed and chased after him. Ronon was close behind, weapons raised and ready to fire at any moment. Sheppard and Ronon reached McKay's side. Sheppard glared at Rodney for simply running as he had. "Why'd you run this way, you know they're just illusions!"

Ronon jerkily spun his body, preparing for attack. Those apparitions were obviously put there to lure them this way, and they had just fallen into the trap!

"Of course! I know that!" Rodney hissed, his eyes frantic. Sheppard was genuinely surprised at his response. "I was running from that!" He spun around the pillar long enough to point higher into the sky where John and Ronon now saw a flat, disc-shaped object hovering around the entrance to the courtyard.

"Should I shoot it?" Ronon asked, and Sheppard was almost inclined to agree, but before he could voice his order, the disc began to make a noise and then –much like a dart- began to deposit massive amounts of troops to the ground in the courtyard, eliminating all hope for that exit.

"Oh god!" Rodney was the first to respond vocally to the scene now before them; for it was one to go down in the archive for sure!

The 'troops' they were now facing were all young children. Varying ages between around 6 to about 12 years old. They didn't hold any visible weapons, and their cold gazes showed they were either traumatized or hypnotized or both.

John, trying to ignore the large number of placid, almost angry faces before him, stepped out to try and calm the situation and find out what was going on. Ronon was by his side, weapon still raised, while Rodney tried to remain as much behind the pillar as he could without suffering the stigmata of being a complete and utter coward. He still had some dignity; somewhere.

"Hey guys, take it easy. So, you live here?" Sheppard tried, and looked around at the quiet faces. There was no response, and he felt nervous. He tried to give them his best smirk to try and lighten the mood, but it was not working.

There was a low chuckle from behind them, and the familiarity of it made Sheppard's hair stand on end and a sick feeling of dread spread across his body. The sound was definitely from a species they had -from day one- marked as their enemy; Wraith.

He expected the source to be right behind them, but instead, all Sheppard saw was an empty hallway with a throne-like seat at the end. The throne was covered in shrowds and long drapes that hung from the ceiling in faded colors and beige.

Ronon emmediately shot at the throne, supposing that there was a Wraith hiding beneath the shrowds covering the throne. Before his blasts could hit the throne itself, they reflected off an energy shield that surrounded it.

The voice chuckled again, and Sheppard swore it was female –although it was sometimes hard to tell with Wraith. For good measure, Sheppard raised his gun and fired a good round at the shield, but stopped when children began to form around the perimeter of the energy shield.

They were still surrounded from behind, and now they were truly trapped. John considered just simply plowing through the kids at the courtyard exit, but he soon noticed that the silver disc that had deposited them in the first place was accompanied by several others.

"Who are you?" Sheppard demanded to the covered throne. There was a small silence. "Who are you?!"

Then the cloth around the throne warped slightly as a figure pressed against the thin material. A pale, thin hand came around a hidden seam and pulled it away to reveal the head of a female Wraith with long, electric blue hair that frosted at the tips to a white.

What was then strange was that when she stood and slinked from behind the curtains she didn't bear the normal attire of a Queen Wraith, but a –what appeared to be- simple, white lab coat and a white tank and loose pants that almost appeared to be a skirt.

"I am called simply... Mother." She hissed and John could have sworn he caught a smile as she said it.

"Right." John replied, a little disgusted, and held up his weapon to face her again, but was forced to lower it as the older children around her formed a protective shield of human bodies. The forcefield might be down, but now he had an even tougher one to deal with.

Mother nodded slowly. "Give up your weapons."

Three kids swarmed around them and held out their hands to each for the weapons. Sheppard hesitated and Ronon looked like he could care less about smacking these Wraith-brainwashed kids around and plowing his way out of the dark throne room.

The female Wraith made an impatient noise. "If I had wanted you dead, it would have happened long ago." She warned as more of those silver discs surrounded them as well as more children.

Rodney was visibly and verbally freaked. "This is like children of the corn on crack!" He looked around and began to feel very claustrophobic. This was like a horrible nightmare. Killer kids, flying saucers and Wratih, not to mention a pissed off Ronon; how much more worse could it get?!

Sheppard had all of a second to realize Ronon had just about had enough, and charged not for the exit, but Mother, his weapon raised and ready to make the final blow. Kids were falling down from his larger mass, and more were crowding in to protect Mother. Unfortunately, Ronon had only managed about three large steps until he was lasered and stunned by one of the silver discs.

He fell in a heap, unconscious on the cold metallic floor.

"He will be the first!" Mother exclaimed and turned to the remaining two. Sheppard's weapon was taken from his hand, and he had no choice but to let it.

The children removed also his hand gun and knife and any other thing that looked like a weapon. They did the same with Rodney, who was trying to not be as disturbed as he was. "I hate kids! Especially brainwashed, phychotic Wraith-loving ones. Yeah, as if the list of annoyances couldn't get any bigger-"

"Shut up Rodney." John warned. He felt hopeless, but 'Mother' was right. If she had wanted them dead, they probably would have been a long while ago. And for now, he was just concentrating on keeping them alive and well. But he was getting more worried as Mother approached Ronon, on the ground and still unconscious. A small amount of blood trickled onto the floor's surface.

Rodney's eyes widened as he realized what the Wraith had said. "W-wait a minute. First? First for what?" Was she implying what he thought she meant? He hoped not!

Ronon was flipped onto his back as she knelt besides him and held up her hand as the children tore his shirt down the middle to reveal his bare chest.

Sheppard frowned, and this time couldn't help but try and use bodily force to move forward. "First for her to feed on!" He exclaimed as he struggled against the many small hands of the children holding him back.

A piercing laugh from Mother made his eyes dart to her face as it twisted in a sinister roll. "Tell me strangers," she looked right at Sheppard, "can you keep a secret?" She said slowly and then threw her head back as she hissed into the air and roughly slinked her hand onto Ronon's chest.

John was knocked from his feet and onto his knees, along with Rodney as they were forced to watch. Until she had said that, he had thought she was going to feed on them. Of course that would have been the logical explaination of why she didn't have them killed, but here she was, doing something... different?

Around her 'feeding' hand there was a small silver device attached to her wrist that connected to each finger. It looked different than what Sheppard had witnessed on Wraith before. This one had glowing orbs of blue throughout the metal and as she sank her mandibles into his flesh, other metal cords flew from the orbs and into his skin, alongside her fingernails.

His whole body seemed to glow beneath her hand and suddenly he began to shrink. It was almost as if he was fading away, his mass being sucked away into her hand. But then the shrinking stopped, and John and Rodney looked down to where his clothes now rested, seemingly bodiless.

And then movement happened and from the clothes appeared a small body of a boy, sitting up, rubbing his head from underneath his clothes. The young boy was no more than 6 with dark tanned skin and a headfull of dreadlocks.

Sheppard's eyes went wide at the sight of junior Ronon. Mother had already moved onto him and he struggled in vain as her hand pushed him to his back and he too felt the changes begin.

It felt like worms underneath his chest where his lungs and heart were. He could barely breath and his vision clouded over but he was still conscious. He was growing weaker and weaker, and he felt like his entire body was in a vice, being compressed and smothered. Tingles and waves of pain rippled up and down his spine and suddenly all he felt was nothing. His vision was coming back slowly.

He opened his eyes and saw only blobs at first. He felt so out of place, lighter, almost like he was floating. When his vision finally came into full use, he saw he was looking down at his hands, smaller than what he remembered. Oh god, he had just been turned into a child! Just like Ronon and soon to be...

"Rodney! Run! Get out of here!" Sheppard managed to croak out, but was shocked at the higher sound of his own voice. But as soon as Sheppard looked over, he saw a blanket of light shine from Rodney as he too was transformed.

* * *

The three were thrown into a dark room by some of the older children after they were forced into some better-fitting clothes. They were like small kimono-type robes of white and beige –like that of the other children. 

Shocked and dazed, the three barely fought as they were led to their room and locked inside.

A vent above them blew in cool air with a slight bit of humidity. There were no windows, only the single door and a single light ficture on the wall next to the door.

John emmediately began to pace back and forth, with Ronon checking the door handle for a way to pick it. Rodney had taken a seat right smack in the middle of the room, his knees folded up to his body as he slightly rocked back and forth in the classic 'this-is-not-happening' display.

"This sucks!" Rodney said, and clutched at his throat, still surprised at the young voice.

"Well... it could be worse." John replied simply, stopping his movement for a minute to look at McKay, still a little weirded out by his current appearance; hell, all three of their appearances.

"Oh, tell me how it could be worse! We just got turned into pre-pubescent 6 year olds by a cadre of hypnotized little brats that worship a Wraith called 'Mother' that also has the ability to turn people into kids, yeah... how could it be worse?!"

Sheppard gave him a look of exasperation. "It could be worse, McKay." He stated, sure to emphasize that he was using his last name.

"How how _how_?" Rodney looked up with wide eyes.

"Oh, I don't know... we could have lost our memories or something. Hell, she could have just fed on us and we'd be bone-dry mummies by now." John sighed as Rodney got that look on his face saying that he understood but still wanted to continue on at how screwed up they had gotten themselves.

Ronon suddenly kicked at the door with his small sandled feet and grunted angrily. Rodney and John looked over at him. John walked closer to the younger Ronon.

"We gotta get out of here." Ronon stated, his voice also surprising him.

Sheppard was in agreement. "Yeah, and we need to get our equipment too. Otherwise dialing back to Atlantis will be impossible, and with our voices like this... who's going to believe us without any IDCs?"

"No!" Rodney suddenly shouted, causing Sheppard and Ronon to look at him strangely. Rodney realized his outburst and explained himself, "I can't go back like this. We have to get that Wraith to change us back!"

Sheppard's eyes went wide and he frowned. "Are you crazy? Get the Wraith to change us back? Oh yes, let's just go and ask her if she will, I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding!" He growled out and Rodney got on his feet facing him, still having to look up at the taller boy.

"Well, she had to have some reason to change us to match her little junior-army. I mean, really, what is up with this?! Why kids?! Kids! Small, annoying, little..." McKay's eyes lit up as realization set in. Oh God, it made perfect sense!

Sheppard saw the change in his face. "What?"

Rodney began snapping his fingers in the air. "Of course! Kids! Small adults! Think about it. Say you're going on a long trip and want to bring enough food to supply you through the entire time, but space is limited. What better way than to compress your food into small, more manageable proportions! When you're hungry, pop one out, mature it and _then_ feed." He jabbed his finger in the air triumphantly. Then his face fell.

"What now?" Sheppard asked.

"But that doesn't make sense. One can only assume that giving years onto the victim would drain a lot from the Wraith, so what would be the point in that? It'd probably take more effort to first turn them into adults and then take the years away."

"There's a lot about Wraith we still don't know about." Sheppard replied, almost to himself, as if in reminder of his fellow prisoner Wraith when he was capture by the Genii.

"I don't care how it happened or why, I just want out of here." Ronon replied as he skulked around the small room once more.

Then the door opened again and in stepped an older boy, around 12, who was carrying a tray of what looked to be protein bars from their vests, unwrapped and stacked neatly in the center.

Ronon looked like he was about to pounce the kid, and make a run for it, but Sheppard stopped him with a simple raise of his arm and a steady look.

"You know, I wasn't going to say it, but I am hungry." Rodney quipped and grabbed a bar from the tray and began to eat.

Sheppard watched as young Rodney quickly ate at it. Then he turned his attention back to the boy. "So, wanna tell me your name?"

The young boy looked over at Sheppard and regarded him over once and then squinted as if in deep thought –perhaps wondering if he would be punished for talking to these new-comers.

John tried to give a smirk and a friendly face. "My name's John, this is Ronon, and that one is Rodney." The boy looked them over and then frowned.

"You remember your names?" He asked, bewildered.

John was suddenly concerned. "You don't?"

"None of us do. We lost it long ago it seems. Mother said it was of our past lives and that we need not concern it for it is full of sin. We are here to be reborn again." He said simply and tucked a long piece of blonde hair behind his ear.

"If you don't remember than how do you know you came to this honestly and not against your will? Like us." John retorted and saw the boy get slightly confused.

"You were tresspassers. Besides, Mother assured us all that you three needed to be cleansed. She said she could feel your souls suffering. Mother is a God, you know. We are her children, and she will deliver us to our new lives among the stars." He said in a monotonous voice.

John was getting a little more than disturbed at the way things were going so far. "And just how long has this been going on?"

"Since before time, Mother says. I only remember the last few years." The boy suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "I must go, I believe I am needed elseware. I will come and check on you later." And he left as soon as he came, leaving the tray with Rodney on his way out.

Sheppard turned to Ronon and Rodney, repeating what Ronon had said earlier. "We have to get out of here."

"I'm all in agreement myself." Rodney replied, setting the tray aside on the ground.

"We need to get our equipment and get back to Atlantis and bring more men." Ronon finished.

"Alright, we need a plan." John said and glanced around the room as if it was going to tell him the answers.

* * *

Dr. Elizabeth Weir stood at the balcony overlooking the stargate in the control room. She had one arm perched on the other, her hand playing absently at his sleeve. There had been no contact from Colonel Sheppard's team and she was worried. True, her worries were early, since their check-in time was only an hour past. 

She sighed and turned her head slightly as Teyla walked up to her to stand gingerly beside her. Elizabeth admired the strong woman, but sometimes she put up a front for how much pain she was really in. The injury had been worse than what some thought. Elizabeth knew better, especially the way Teyla had walked around the last week.

"How are you feeling?" Elizabeth asked and Teyla forced a small, modest smile.

"I am well enough, Dr. Weir."

"That's good to hear." She smiled and looked back over the gateroom.

"It was a simple reconnaissance was it not?" Teyla asked softly standing next to her, and sensing what she was worried about.

"Yes, and it is a little early to be worried, but…" She trailed off. "But still, something in me says something's not right. I hope it's just nothing." Elizabeth said and gave a small sigh.

"Trusting your instinct is something you should always do, Dr. Weir." She said simply and they shared a look between them. "Then again, I do believe Colonel Sheppard is capable of handling things himself should something arise."

"I know that," she said softly and looked back at the stargate.

Whatever their boys were up to, Teyla hoped they were fine, because she too had a strange feeling. She had come up to the control room to help quell that feeling, to assure herself that everything was fine. But with Dr. Weir worried as well and even feeling her own worries, it only made Teyla more concerned.

"Although," Teyla began, catching Elizabeth's attention. "I seem to recall the Colonel needing our assistance on several occasions without his knowledge or approval."

Elizabeth nodded and looked back down at the stargate and made the decision in her mind before she pushed her earpiece and called for Dr. Beckett to come to the control room.

* * *

John and Rodney began to pound on the door to their small room. "Help please! Is anyone out there? Where are we? I can't remember anything! Please help us!" They both screamed together and Ronon kicked at the walls, not aiding in the vocal end of the pleading. 

He kept this up for no more than a few minutes before the door swung open and a group of older boys appeared holding some stick weapons.

"Please, can you tell me where I am? I can't remember anything." John pleaded.

"I can't remember either." Rodney said pitifully, and stuck out his bottom lip.

"Come with us." One of the older boys said and led them out of the room and down the hall of the fortress. The air was musky and damp and the temperature of the halls was moderately warm. They led them to a stairwell and they climbed up to a canopy area that overhung several stories above a large central area below.

They walked into a dark room with lots of fabric and other foreign material. They were shown to sit before a small cove on their knees. The three did so carefully, looking very scared and frightened.

They were left to sit there for only a few minutes before a shadow appeared from the small cove. The figure was familiar and the white and blue hair shone in the dim lights.

"So soon? They do not remember?" She asked one of the taller boys, who gripped his wooden pole tightly and nodded crisply.

"No Mother, they do not remember. Their memories have been purged." He replied and she smiled a crooked, wicked grin.

"No memories? Can it be true?" She bent down close to John and he put on his best façade to appear to be truly afraid and ignorant.

After a long stare into John's eyes she twirled once and made a hissing noise. It sent shivers down John's back. He noticed that Rodney had began to cry, sobbing really. He couldn't tell if he was faking or was truly doing it.

"My children." She turned to the three on the ground again. "Do not be scared." She cooed at their wide-eyed fright. "I am your Mother. I will protect you. You just need to trust me. I am here to cleanse you and soon we will join eachother and travel into space. Doesn't that sound magnificent?"

There was no reply.

"You will understand in time. Please go and eat something with the others and they shall show you where to sleep. Take them away." She ordered and the tall boys began to lead the three down another narrow hall away from the canopy.

They were led away and as they were entering the dining area, they heard a commotion over near the exit with a group of older boys.

"More intruders! Three others came, but only one was brought back. They're bringing him to mother now, c'mon!" One shouted and Ronon, John, and Rodney all shared a look and ran over to the group that was heading to the main arena down below.

"We want to help!" John exclaimed, and Ronon nodded.

"Anything for Mother!" Rodney added in, and John almost felt like smacking him because he really sounded cheesy, almost like he was –you know, _faking_ it.

The oldest boy, who seemed pretty much in charge, thought for a moment, as if not trusting the newcomers quite yet, but as a soft red light began to blink he knew he had to get going to Mother's chambers.

"Fine, come." He led them down a corridor and to a small box with several wooden staffs of varied lengths. The boys grabbed some and John spotted a small machete-type metallic sword at the bottom and grabbed it.

As they followed the crowd of older boys, they could hear a voice from a little ways away, pleading in a familiar Scottish accent. John hurried his pace and got to the main chambers where they had been transformed before and saw Dr. Carson Beckett on his knees surrounded by children.

Mother was approaching him slowly, laughing softly to herself. "Today is such a good day. I have so many new-borns. I wonder how many more will come through to join the flock?" She bent down low and cupped Carson's chin in her slimy hands.

"Please, ma'am, I don't know what's going on here, but-" Carson was cut off as he was knocked down and she placed her hand on his chest to transform him.

John was now close enough that he had to take his opportunity or else another might not come. Also, he didn't want Carson to face the same fate that he and his other companions faced. He gripped his machete tight in his grip and charged Mother.

With as much strength as his small arms could exert, he sliced through Mother's entire arm, cutting it clear in half along with the feeding apparatus attached to her hand.

There was a terrible shriek and Ronon knocked Mother down to her back with his staff and John angeled the blade to her neck.

"Back up, all of you!" John exclaimed and put the blade closer to her neck. "I'll do it, I swear I will! Back it up!" The children, seeing their Mother in danger, did back up to ensure her safety. The flying discs also hovered backwards.

John looked down to Ronon and Rodney who were helping Carson up from the ground. He was only partially transformed, his age probably around 15 or 16. He looked dazed and horrified at the same time.

"Beckett, can you run?" John asked and saw the doctor nod, a wild eyed look on his face. "Go then! Rodney, Ronon, go with him. And if any of you think of touching them, I'm going to cut her head off, got that?"

After a few tense moments, the three ran off as quickly as their small legs could take them. As soon as he knew they were enough ways away, John took a quick slice at Mother, but not enough to kill her, and grabbed her severed hand and took off as well out through the courtyard.

He could hear the sound of the flying discs right behind him and dodged a few beams as it shot at him. He got to the field and was thankful he was short enough to be barely seen through the tall grass. He jumped higher a few times to see where he was going, and caught sight of Carson's head above the grass as well as they fled to the stargate.

John's small legs were tiring quickly and the distance to the stargate seemed so far away to him. He kept running though, as fast as he could.

* * *

After the return of the two wounded Marines and a missing Dr. Beckett, Elizabeth arranged the immediate rescue party to go through and bring back her people. She watched from the small balcony to see the stargate being dialed, the Marines of the rescue team geared up and ready to embark. 

Suddenly the dialing stopped the symbols lit up brightly as an incoming wormhole was being established. She was both excited and worried. It could be their team returning, everyone safe and sound, or it could be the arrival of the enemy.

The shield automatically rose without her giving the order.

She turned to the control room, and saw the technician, Chuck, reading his screen. "Incoming wormhole. It's Dr. Beckett's IDC."

She sighed a relief but that still meant John and the others might still be missing. "Lower the shield." She ordered and began to run down across the room to the steps leading down to the gateroom.

There was a few moments of nothing as Elizabeth descended the stairs, but she halted mid step when she saw three figures burst through the giant puddle. Small figures. One in the normal black uniform of the field, and two others in small beige clothing. It took her another moment to realize that they were unfamiliar, and that two were children.

One more small figure rolled through the stargate and managed to shout in a small, strangled voice, "Shut it down!" The stargate closed with a hiss and weapons were raised at the four unfamiliar people on the ground, all panting.

"Don't shoot, it's us!" One of the small children exclaimed.

Elizabeth stepped through the Marines and saw three small children and a teenage boy all sitting on the ground in a heap. "Lower your weapons." She said and they complied, but still held a firm hand on their guns, not to let their guard down.

Teyla came through to stand next to Elizabeth, and they shared a look of confusion.

"It's not going to work that way, Rodney." Breathed out the dark haired boy who emerged last. "Have you seen us?" He sat up and stood on wobbly legs and looked directly over at Elizabeth. She suddenly, with surprised shock, recognized him, recognized all of them.

"John?" She asked, and saw the small, dark haired boy smile and nod. "Rodney, Ronon… Carson?"

Carson lifted a hand and said "Aye," in a cracked voice.

John couldn't help but be relieved she recognized them right away. "Maybe it _will_ work that way." He said softly, almost to himself.

For a moment very rare for Elizabeth, she was speechless. Hell, the entire gateroom was speechless as they looked down at three small children and a teenager that were a part of their elite expedition team.

* * *


End file.
